97. The Awkward Customer!
"Yaaawn."
Staring blankly out the window with a yawn. Lately, these idle days had been dragging on. The reason he didn't even have to consider heading out for designated driving was thanks to the sword Danya that Yu Ye-na had given him.
He'd been through a lot recently, and now he had 10 billion to his name. Wasn't it fine to take it easy? The Yeoeumhoe mess had mostly blown over, and customers were trickling back in bit by bit.
"Once the timing's right, I should splash some cash on ads."
Once enough time had passed for his image to recover, he planned to kick off proper marketing. Was this why celebrities caused scandals and then laid low? Hoping time would sort it all out?
"J-Just a bit more. L-Like this."
"Like this? Like this? Bbam!"
"It's harder than I thought? Ta-da!"
"......"
He spun the half-reclined chair around. Shifting his gaze from the window to one corner of the office, there were three people practicing a dance. Kim Yang, Renea, and Baek Yeonhwa. In front of a phone stand, the trio was repeating a short 10-second idol choreography.
"What the hell are you doing in the office?"
As the boss, he couldn't just let this slide.
"Go clean something. Or post anonymously on some community forum. Like, 'Tower Match and Wedding Company are outdated these days, right? Meracle's pretty decent though.' Something like that."
"W-We’re filming Shorts."
Kim Yang grumbled. Yeah, sure, whatever.
"Why film it here?"
"F-For promotion."
"Promotion my ass. We’re not an idol agency."
Look at her ignoring him and carrying on. With nothing better to do, he tilted his head and wandered over to watch.
"Ah, Uncle. Th-This is kids’ playtime."
"I'm not 'uncle' material yet."
"Sh-Shave that beard."
"......I shaved this morning, but it's already growing back."
Sheepish, he fiddled with his stubbly chin while watching the three dance.
"Hup! Hup! Hup! How's that, Great Hero?"
The flowing robes looked nice enough, but if he had to nitpick, Baek Yeonhwa moved like she was performing martial forms.
"Who’re you fighting?"
"......"
"Not great."
She immediately pouted, smacked his arm, and vented her sulkiness.
"It's fine! Practice diligently like this lady, and you'll reach the pinnacle someday!"
Renea, who'd only followed Kim Yang's lead a few times, was already moving convincingly. A knee-straining move in the middle made him frown.
"Watch your joints. No insurance coverage for part-timers."
"What?! This lady has no insurance?!"
"Y-You do. N-No insurance would be illegal."
Busted. Of course they'd signed her up. Meracle wasn't that shady—Renea had just signed without reading like an idiot.
"B-Boss. Y-You try it."
"What?"
Absurd. He tried backing away, but Baek Yeonhwa hooked her arm through his with a grin.
"Sounds fun! Show us, Great Hero!"
"No, what the—"
"No escaping, loser!"
Caught in the end, he was dragged to center screen. The others briefly showed him the pose, but he had zero interest. Then a notification pinged from his computer—Raichen in the lobby signaling a customer.
"Oh, customer must be here."
"I-I'll go."
Kim Yang bolted forward. If only she were that proactive all the time. Before leaving the office, she glanced back, muttered she'd check later, and was gone.
"Great Hero! Arms like this, like this!"
"Loosen up your legs a bi— Whoa, Boss. You've got some muscle, huh?"
"Crazy grandma's sexually harassing me."
Look at her groping his thigh in awe. Baek Yeonhwa, overhearing, poked it with a finger and marveled too.
"Come to think of it, do you work out separately, Great Hero?"
"Did for a while. Been too busy lately, so I slacked off."
At his answer, Baek Yeonhwa kneaded a bit more, then tilted her head.
"Hmm, Great Hero. Want to train with me?"
"Train?"
"Yes! Oh, right! I can teach you some Taeguk Eumyangmun forms too. No inner energy, so heart arts or lightness skills might be tough, but external arts are fair game."
Training? From a famed ancient murim clan, no less—a direct heir. You couldn't buy that opportunity. And Baek Yeonhwa, blessed by the Azure Dragon, was basically the next head of Taeguk Eumyangmun.
Got Danya too. Learning martial arts could pair nicely.
No way he'd draw a 10-billion sword lightly, but who knew what fate had in store? A sword from ancient murim would suit their warriors best.
Timing's perfect. Meracle's slow right now anyway.
He nodded—then Kim Yang burst back in, face twisted in bewilderment, like a kid who'd spilled water and frozen.
"B-B-Boss."
"Yeah? What? Something wrong?"
"I-I... C-Can't do it."
Face beet red, she rushed over and yanked him.
"B-Boss, you handle it."
"Customer being a pain?"
She shook her head—no.
"Then why?"
"C-Can't explain. G-Go see."
"Okay, calm down and sit."
Grabbing Kim Yang's tablet, he headed to the consultation room. His stubble bugged him, but not the priority now.
Inside: an orc with a ponytail swept back. Orcs were naturally muscled, so even baggy hoodie couldn't hide hers.
"Hm? Handler changed?"
"Yes, Kim Juseon, Meracle president. My employee's under the weather. Sorry for the inconvenience."
"Nah, it's cool."
She waved it off breezily. He checked her profile on Kim Yang's tablet left on the desk.
Name: Maramdesh Elroark.
Age: 28.
Origin: 4th Floor.
Occupation: Fitness Trainer.
...
Fitness trainer.
Orcs thrived in such fields: coaching, sports services, construction labor. Their instinctive grasp of muscles was innate—they knew viscerally how to build them. PT especially valued a trainer's physique, and orcs came buff by default.
"Yes, Ms. Maramdesh. Your salary's impressively high."
"Got steady clients."
"Makes sense. Fitness trainers vary wildly by clientele—this puts you in the top tier."
"Skill pays."
Look at her puffing up. Casual speech was common, especially from certain races who skipped formalities.
But Kim Yang called her a pain? Her bar must be sky-high.
One more irk: Why's she staring like that?
He'd set the ranks himself, yet her appraising gaze felt off-putting.
"Ahem. Any specific preferences? Be as frank as you like."
Business smile on, he asked. Maramdesh crossed her legs and declared outright:
"A guy who fucks well."
"......Pardon?"
Blinking, he pressed. She shrugged and rephrased:
"A guy good in bed."
"Ah, I see."
Now he got why Kim Yang fled. Awkward request, but not unheard of—sexual compatibility mattered. Some clients prioritized it. Just... not this bluntly.
But Maramdesh pushed further:
"Your motto's 'We'll find your miracle,' right?"
"Yes. We do our utmost for—"
"I want miracle sex. Fuck, just kill me with it—"
Ah. The urge hit: Should I just deck her?
* * *
The new client was aggressively forward. Length, girth, stamina, duration—she detailed it like an InBody scan. Capped with: "What about you, boss?"
Didn't care about looks? "Won't be staring at his face anyway."
Impressive.
First client with such raw desire.
Back in the office, Kim Yang slumped in her chair, still flushed. Renea and Baek Yeonhwa fanned her frantically. Spotting him, they pounced:
"Ah! Boss is back!"
"What happened?"
"......"
What? Hard to explain.
"Ahem, client privacy, can't say."
Sheepish, he sat. Renea and Baek Yeonhwa grew curioser, huddling to conspire info out of him.
Some things were best unknown.
A short sigh, pondering matches—
"B-Boss."
Kim Yang, composing herself, asked:
"H-How do you... h-handle this?"
"Handle what."
Though his eyes weren't visible, did they gray just a shade? Scanning the male list:
"Match her right."